I cannot say how many times I have passed over the "lame" feats because they do not do very much overall. As the description says, these feats level up with you.

Do you look at those skill feats like Alertness? They are good at low levels, but later on they are kind of a waste of a feat. That no longer is the case. Alertness gives you a reroll at level 7, and two rerolls at level 14. While that is not game-changing in itself, it does let you get a bit more out of that "wasted" feat.

I was surprised at how many feats become expanded in this way. While it specifically ignores the basic armor and weapon proficiency feats, it does help to make all of those feats into something that is worth considering.

Combat feats get little boosts as well. Fighters and characters that want to use them (such as Weapon Finesse) will find some happy little boosts. These help to keep these character concepts viable even at higher levels.

It is hard to know what to expect when getting a ship design and map pack. There are several other similar lines already available from this site, two lines that come immediately to mind are Futura Armada and the line by UKG publishing. I really liked those two.

This one does not disappoint. I can see this in use in a gaming session, which is the entire point of the product. My only complaints are:

1) I would like to have it already tell me what sort of Aquisition level this is, so I know at a glance if it is right for my gaming group. This is a really good way to see just how "good" a given vessel is at a glance.

2) It would be fun to see a pre-made crew, maybe with some sort of plot hooks or something so that it can be plopped into a game. Of course, this part is not necessary, especilally considering the price. I figure that it is easier to sell more desings than designs with crwws that may or may not be used by a given group.

Today I was very happy to find a product on Drive Thru Rpg / RPG Now that took several of my gripes about starships in RPGs and fixed them to work with Savage Worlds. I am so happy because I have been looking for something like this for many, many years. I have a love of spaceships, spaceship combat, and space soldiers. I love military sci fi novels, and FINALLY I can play them with the right tone and system (in this case, I find that Savage Worlds does it best).

I am usually not so much of a fan of a product that I tell everyone about it, but I am freaking happy! As I said, I have wanted to have this at my gaming table for many, many years. I just had to get it. I am VERY glad that I did as the character book is just what I was going to wite myself (or try to, as this is really good). The space combat and starship system are also really good. Instead of feeling like someone slapped them onto the game with duct tape, Story Weaver fit it to the Savage Worlds system rather well. I was just thinking about coming up with something earlier today and the product came out just in time. It was what I was going to do, and much much more and better.

High Space Character Manual

Initial skill points are 12, but you pick a background edge and what is called a Cultural Edge. The Background edge is a profession, like Bounty Hunter, Criminal, or Explorer. The Cultural Edge basically spends the three “lost” skill points for you. This helps give a baseline cultural background, which helps people to account for that when making a character. In some cases it is three different d4 skills. In others it is a d4 skill and a 1 trait bonus. It is a good idea and could be used for any campaign setting. Personally I would make what it is calling a Background Edge a Profession Edge instead, and just require a Profession Edge, as I can see a character use those out of the Savage Worlds book, especially in other setting. I can see why they are called background edges, as they for a character’s background, but that is somewhat confusing as Savage Worlds already uses Background edges, but they are not used in quite the same way. No, again it looks like they should be Professional edges.

There is discussion of the various skills to be used in the setting. Examples are given for specific versions of Boating and Piloting, for example. We also get new skills as Philosophy, Programming, and Psychiatry.

There are new Hindrances such as Retrovirus. There are new edges, with a couple for Hacking being noteworthy. There are rules on robots and cybernetics, and gland drugs. There are rules on what is called Equilibrium. Apparently cryo-sleep can make you go crazy. Who would have thought?

There are a bunch of cool high tech weapons, armor, equipment, and vehicles. Just looking at the book this far is making me want to play the Colonial Marines from ALIENS or maybe a Spartan from HALO.

High Space Fleet Manual

Starship construction is based on the Wild Card characters that will crew it. A Novice is worth 1 point and a Legendary character is worth 5. This total is called Acquisition points. The number of Acquisition Points will then determine how many free Edges and Trait Points that are available to design the vessel.

Then you spend the Trait points on 5 attributes. Maneuver, Computer, FTL, Displacement, and Quality. The Displacement is the mass of the vessel. D4 is a starfighter, d12 is a supercarrier.

Then you pick Design Edge, which is basically a “race” for a starship. I am not sure why it has that name, I would call it Starship Class, myself. A Design Edge gives a basic modification, such as a Warship giving a bonus to Quality but a reduction in Pace (Pace is derived from FTL). It also gives Payloads and Hard Points based on the Displacement rating. A warship has more hard points than payloads, a cargo vessel has only payloads. The payloads are used for equaipment and cargo space while hard points are used for weapons. Ships can have hindrances and edges. Many of the edges also have a cost in payloads or hard points.

Starship combat has maneuvers such as Slingshot which lets you use a nearby planet or asteroid to fling your vessel by at a quicker rate and Align for Impact that gets you an AP bonus for versus damage for a collision. Gunner maneuvers include Improved Firing Solution and Defensive Firing.

Further Musings

The ship can have an AI. This can be a Wild Card in itself. I would have it be a NPC or a PC’s side kick, If it is a primary PC, I would have it have some sort of edge to have an android body (where as the Android is the actual PC) or have an a side kick for the ship, either an engineer that really loves the AI or something, maybe just some other character for the player to use when off the ship. It can get really boring when you are stuck in port while the party goes on without you.

What about a character that wants to have a personal starfighter that is stationed on the ship that the party flies around? I could see a character using the Ace edge for this. That in itself is not a problem, but how does one determine Acquisition points? Do you split it between your personal vessel and the carrier? Going with the Fast, Furious, Fun, I would just make an edge called “Personal Vessel” that allows a character to use his or her own points for both a personal vessel as well as to the main vessel. A character could in that way add double if that character has no desire to have a personal vessel, such as the character that remained on the carrier would do while the rest of the party suited up and took off into their own starfighters.

The books could also do with some examples. Several example ships would be really nice. Those could be used as pre-made ships and also showcase the results of the design system. There could also be a few examples of crews and their vessels.

An excel spreadsheet to track the starship would be great. Knowing me, I will make a goof usrr friendly one easily enough. A Hero Lab user source file would also be great. If not already made, I guess that I will do it as well because I want it as it is. I would post both to my website for sharing

It is good that it is still a Beta at this point and perhaps some of my musings and comments could help to make the final product better overall.

I bought this in October 2005, and I have been playing in two PBEM games for quite some time. While it is written to be able to be a campaign system for a tabletop wargame (such as for playing, say, Babylon 5 Wars or Star Fleet Battles with your friends), it works rather well as a play-by-email game.

The game is really easy to play and the learning curve is not too steep. I learn the rules as I need them. At least in the two games that I am playing, it takes maybe 20 - 30 minutes per week for each game.

LIKED: It is a really good system for wargaming campaigns, regardless of what you use for the tactical combat.

DISLIKED: A few more examples and slightly more direct text in some places. There are times that I think that I know what the rules are saying, but I like to be 100% certain.

This is a useful book on how to generate many things and can be used for other RPGs. It is a toolkit for making things up for a game in a consistent manner, instead of pulling entirely out of your a$$ (such as where Gary Gygax got the equipment for D&D in the 1970's).

LIKED: Consistency. There are also some fillable pdfs that you can use that have all of the equations built into them. Just click on things and it does the calculations for you, the way that a computerized product should be (I just wish that 3g3 did that).

DISLIKED: There are cases the things generated are not entirely realistic. The difference between reality and game stats can vary depending on the design that is chosen. But then again, who cares? It is for a game, after all.

I purchased this product for the setting. The system does look to be playable, however. Plus, there are some mechanics worth "porting" to other games.

I have always been fond of the "Demons are attacking" plotline. While such a plot generally happens in a low-tech fantasy setting, this one is a sci-fi post-apocalyptic setting. That's great fun. The setting has a fun, gritty feel to it. Survival under the boot of the regime has a great potential for a very fun campaign.

If you like post-apocalyptic games or fighting demons, this is a great game to buy.

LIKED: Some good artwork. I got a good feel for the setting through the art and details.

The options that this pdf offers seem to be balanced well enough. I mean, when you are talking about a masterwork item, why not go for a bit of individuality or otherwise something to make it kind of special.

The picture of the axe on the front page at first glance appears to be getting smashed into pieces. Not much for something that is supposed to be Masterwork, eh? But upon further observation it is indeed intact and whatever it is hitting against (presumably stone) is getting broken into pieces.

It is a good start to coming up with ideas on how to tweak one's weapons. It reminds me of the d20 Star Wars equipment guide, with its options for modifying weapons.

LIKED: It was worth the money to me. While it is nothing that will affect the game too much, it makes those special items a bit more special.

DISLIKED: It could have been even longer. Maybe options for bows or something.

I bought this with a bit of nostalgia of the AD&D 2nd Edition "Complete" books. All of those books were great in that they made you want to make a character of a given type. For example, I don't like Dwarves nor do I like Bards, but both of their respective "Complete" books got me to play a couple of characters of each.

This is a good book. It has a lot of good ideas in it, and I would like to see the rest of the series. It is better than the Complete Humanoids book, in that it tells you a lot more about Goblins than it did, but it just didn't grab my interest like the other books did. <shrug> Maybe I am just getting old. :)

LIKED: It is what it is advertised as being, a guide to goblins

DISLIKED: It didn't make me say "hey, I just gotta make a Goblin character right now"

This one makes me want to plop zombies into a game right now. It is a well-written product that does a very good job at helping one to understand what would happen in a game should the world be overrun by zombies.

I can see it being dropped into an otherwise normal modern game. I can also see it being dropped into either a futuristic, or even a low-magic fantasy setting (or at least low on clerics to ruin the fun by turning the undead).

It is written with a fun, sadistic humor. You can't expect for characters to live forever in the setting, so this is not a setting for players that get all suicidal just because a character dies. The body count will be high in this game, and it is likely that someone's character will come back to eat their friends.

LIKED: Overall layout. PDF as well as browser support. UKG has a good layout designer.

This is a good way to add more specific personality characteristics to a d20 character. You get an in-game effect and define the personality at the same time.

No more declaring an alignment like "Lawful Good" and wondering just HOW lawful or how good, and if maybe a given character sways a bit in some of the traits that define that "lawfulness" or "goodness".

I like it, but I wouldn't want to live there. There is a good rundown of Pennington. The events are good little "adventure seeds" that even if you don't use them as written they are good inspiration for what to do when you run a game.

LIKED: Good ideas. Even gives details for "normal" things, like the stats of people's safes (just in case a player looks for some opportunities).

A good example of how a Dog Town adventure should be written. It has a good background to it. The plot is solid, and the adventure seems like it would make a good criminal movie. Actually, it was written that way on purpose, and that's a good thing. It makes me think that I am watching Scarface or something similar.

LIKED: Good layout. Situations have a lot of options written for them. Options are one major asset of the Dog Town game, after all. Being written with the preferences of each group being made possible from the beginning is a major plus.

DISLIKED: It would be good to see an adventure written for a bigger gaming group. This one is written for 1 to 4 players (like it says). While I suppose that it can be adapted for a bigger group, I think that it would be neat to get an adventure already written for a bigger group of criminals. :)

This is a neat little document. It's a good way to make the characters have a connection with their heritage. While it isn't too powerful, at least at lower levels, it still makes a character seem to have that "something special".

The subclass system is well designed. It reminds me of the "kits" from AD&D 2nd Edition, and yet it is something that the character can progress in throughout his career (most kits were only taken into account at the beginning).

LIKED: Easy to "plug" into a game

DISLIKED: I would have liked even more content. Of course, this is a common wish of many readers.

This is a good resource for any GM that wants to run Dog Town. It has a lot of good ideas in it. It is not written as an adventure per se, but it has a lot of suggestions for the inhabitants of Grenson Park and their activities.

Think Stargate or even the Riftwar saga by Feist. Do you want a game that has Gates that skip the travel time? No more boring land travel is needed. This has a lot of potential for some neat campaign ideas.